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The Jawan issue just becomes more and more interesting. First it very nearly capsized before leaving the harbour, then it was unloaded a bit and they gave it a second crack.....aborted. So then AMSA insisted all cattle be unloaded ....and guess what? It seems to have made it out of port and out to sea with no problems.....suggesting that there was no inherent issue with the actual ship.
So, was this a ship issue or a loading issue? Who knows? Only thing VALE knows is that ALEC have been very keen to distance themselves from the exporter involved!!! Not a good week for industry......an independent observer report that indicates the true suffering of live export...and a ship loaded with dairy cattle that nearly capsizes. See also: vale_fact_sheet_IO Report
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Whilst everyone in industry and government seem to be patting themselves on the back for the first independent observer report from a low mortality northern summer voyage, they seem to have overlooked what this report actually said.
This was a small relatively modern ship with a small number of sheep (9227) given an extra 17.5% space allowance above ASEL. It sailed in June 2018 from Fremantle to Haifa. Despite the extra space, ALL the sheep had heat stress continuously from the Equator to the Suez Canal (about 10 days for most ships) with one afternoon of Panting Score 3 on all decks. McCarthy said the HSRA should be redesigned such that there was only a 2% probability that 5% of sheep would have heat stress. Well it looks to have been 100% on this ship and it occurred despite the increased space. VALE have long maintained that winter-acclimatised sheep should not be sent to the northern summer. The Australian Veterinary Association made a recommendation that no amount of space could prevent heat stress in the ME summer and recommended that sheep not sail 1 May to 31 October. So here we are...everyone patting themselves on the back about a voyage with very serious morbidity and a heat stress incident. THEY STILL DONT GET IT!!!! The MV Jawan carrying 4327 breeders has had to turn back to port after is started rolling from side to side (see video). It has been reported to the Port of Portland that there are no injuries to the cattle onboard. The AJP thinks this is most unlikely. VALE would be a bit dubious also. Watching the footage one has to be grateful it didnt capsize completely...lucky it was dead calm!
The infamous Cormo Express....the ship that sparked the Keniry Enquiry...became the Merino Express.
The oh so mighty ship MV Becrux....that had a major heat stress disaster on its major voyage...was changed to Ocean Drover. Now we have the Awassi Express....the ship that sparked the McCarthy Review and the Moss Review...also because of heat stress.... changed to Anna Marra.... Come on guys, the public just arent that stupid. Oh...and in case anyone wants to know where this ship is...its hovering around Rottnest Island near Fremantle....perhaps tarting up its latest paintwork?? The agriculture minister, David Littleproud, is sending in a former head of the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) to investigate allegations that departmental staff were dissuaded from reporting animal welfare issues in the live sheep trade.
The recent Moss review highlighted that former staff members in the animal welfare branch of the agriculture department allegedly had their reports “revised or redrafted to dilute or expunge findings which adversely reflected on the regulatory framework”. [See more in The Guardian] Wonder whether they will look into the convenient removal of Dr Lynn Simpson (one of the few people in the department who knew what actually happened on ships). Hmmm bet there are a few worried people around the government offices tonight.....and not before time! WA Farmers President Tony York says the live export industry welcomes additional regulation that would re-establish the sector's 'reputation.'
So...instead of really looking after farmers and looking innovatively for a win-win (farmers, public and animals), the farmer groups continue to go after a trade that has been described as "a dead man walking". Meanwhile, no doubt prompted by lack of live sheep going to Kuwait over the ME summer....to be onsold to Iran as chilled meat by the Kuwaitis...the obvious has happened. An Iranian businessman is buying up the mothballed WA abattoirs so he can supply WA meat direct to Iran. No doubt he can see the writing on the wall that the WA farmers refuse to see in the barbaric live ex trade that is well past its use-by date.. What a missed opportunity for WA agribusiness.... After disappointing Australians with their frontbench appointments that meant they couldnt cross the floor to ensure a win for a Bill to phase out live exports, Sussan Ley and Sara Henderson appear to have taken up the baton again. In a statement Ley and Henderson promised to “continue to advocate with our Coalition colleagues for a five year phase-out of long haul live sheep exports." "It is abundantly clear that exporters and the regulator have fallen well short of the public’s expectation of humane animal welfare standards and practices,” they said.
But the most insightful of the comments was from the former PM's seat of Wentworth: “The live sheep export industry has had plenty of chances to lift its game and in my view is beyond redemption,” new MP, Kerryn Phelps said. It is VALE's view also.... Well everyone has something to say but two of our favourite articles to emerge were:
Maritime Executive: maritime-executive.com/article/live-export-industry-needs-tough-cop and SMH: https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/forget-barnaby-joyce-s-affair-this-is-why-he-should-not-return-to-the-leadership-20181031-p50d0o.html Wendy Laursen's article in Maritime Executive highlights why no review will ever change this industry...3 substantial critical reviews in 15 years....and absolutely nothing changes. Latika Bourke's in SMH was (as usual) on form and whilst overlooking the fact that the Department of Ag has been woeful for 15 years, wrote a gloriously scathing piece: "The department's carpets must sit a foot-high with all that has been swept under them". This Dept cant change, the industry wont change and as one VALE member observed, why would any government bother spending money to fix the inoperable.....? |
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